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Special Precautions of Bloodroot

In general, bloodroot products like paste, tinctures, salves, oils etc, should be taken after consulting a professional alternative medicine expert because bloodroot has certain toxic properties and can cause certain adverse effects like skin rashes and visual distortions if not administered correctly.

Some other common side effects of using bloodroot include feeling faint, vertigo, nausea, vomiting and headaches.

One of the most popular bloodroot uses is through topical or external applications of bloodroot paste and salves in treating skin cancer. However, do take note that this could result in certain major bloodroot side effects like disfigurement.

Due to its power and effectiveness while treating skin tags, bloodroot should be administered with extreme caution and it shouldn't come in contact with healthy skin because it will result in damaging it. It is therefore advisable that bloodroot salve or bloodroot paste isn't applied to skin tags on eyelids or any other sensitive areas like genitals, etc.

Bloodroot juice should not be taken internally since it is toxic and poisonous.

It is highly unsafe to apply bloodroot juice to the skin since this herb is considered to be an escharotic, a substance that kills tissue.

Bloodroot contains certain chemical substances that might increase bleeding when used with an anti-coagulating agent. The same could happen when used with certain anti-platelet an anti-angiogenic medications.

Bloodroot might also have certain adverse effects if taken by patients who are on anti-arrhythmic medications.

Patients suffering from glaucoma should not take any form of bloodroot.

The various bloodroot uses are also not recommended for pregnant women, breast-feeding women, and children.

Some people feel that bloodroot salve or paste is not recommended as a self-treatment method to cure skin cancers since it isn't possible for self-medicated bloodroot salve to treat all the malignant cancerous tissue. This, of course, is very much a matter of personal choice, and bloodroot salves have in fact proven effective for numerous people.

While extracting the sap from the roots of the bloodroot plant, it is always advisable to wear rubber gloves because the sap has certain very powerful properties and, if absorbed by the skin, can cause dizziness, headaches and nausea. Skin inflammations have also been reported in some cases.

Last but not least, although it grows extensively, it is important that only cultivated bloodroot herbs be used and not bloodroot that grows in the wild.

The benefits of Bloodroot are

Skin Cancer : One of the main health benefits of the bloodroot herb determined from recent studies is that bloodroot has certain anti-cancer agent properties that are useful in the treatment of skin cancer. The extract of bloodroot is called sanguinarine, an ammonium salt which attacks and destroys living tissue and is also classified as an escharotic. (See : Escharotic salves)

Cancer : It has also been established that bloodroot contains a chemical substance called berberine which helps fight tumors in the brain and several other types of cancers.

Toothpaste : Bloodroot extracts have been popularly used in toothpastes to fight gum infections like gingivitis and to reduce plaque formation. The use of bloodroot extracts in toothpastes had been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Respiratory Conditions : In herbal medicine, bloodroot extracts are used in minimal dosages to treat bronchial infections and sore throats. Bloodroot extracts, bloodroot tinctures and bloodroot tea have been used over several centuries in treating bleeding lungs, pneumonia, the common cold, whooping cough, emphysema and sinus congestions.

Cardiac Conditions : When combined with certain other chemical compounds, bloodroot has been very effective in treating certain cardiac conditions because they are effective in slowing the heart rate down. Patients suffering from palpitations have been treated effectively by bloodroot administration.

Skin Conditions - External / Topical Application : Other very significant benefits of the bloodroot herb are in treating skin conditions via topical or external application. Bloodroot salve, or bloodroot paste, is used to treat a variety of skin diseases, inflammations, warts, skin tags and tumors. Bloodroot oil has been effective in treating skin lesions and tags.

to treat and cure migraines.

as an anesthetic, cathartic, emetic, expectorant, diuretic, sedative and stimulant.

Bloodroot tea also helps in effective peripheral blood circulation.

treating liver conditions like jaundice, but, of course, it is ideal to first seek professional advice before administering bloodroot.

Treating joint pains and fever.

an effective insect repellent.

Bloodroot flower, stem, roots and other parts of the bloodroot plant are used in preparing red and yellow colored dyes.